RYDE, ISLE OF WIGHT, UK – The Wightlink Tigers have had a 3 week hiatus since their last game. After a run of defeats they recently got back to winning ways with an emphatic 8-2 win at Ryde Arena back on Sunday 18th October.The club are looking forward to a potentially tough encounter at title favourites Cardiff Satans in the Welsh capital,with a home cup match against the Swindon ENL Wildcats this coming weekend.With a up and down season results wise, two wins would be a welcome boost for morale, as the club want to show the rest of the league it wants to challenge the better sides. The islands second string side have added a familiar face in experienced utility player, 38 year old Paul Sanderson. He was part of the club in their inaugural season in 2007/2008 when the club was then known as the Vectis Tigers. After a short break from the game, Paul has been regularly seen watching the side in action. The lure of getting the skates back on finally got the better of him recently and the team was quick to snap him up when he announced he was interested in playing again. Having played for Sunderland Chiefs and Durham City Wasps back in the Heineken era, he will bring good leadership and experience to the side. A player that some of the younger members of the team can look up to and learn a lot from. He also played for the Wightlink Raiders back in their EPL days, so he is familiar to island hockey fans. He’s equally comfortable playing defence or up front, so gives the team plenty of options. He has got a cannon of a shot which will no doubt help the powerplay and is composed on the puck. His debut for the Tigers against the Romford Fury saw him show no signs of rust. With forward Ricky Attrill out with injury for a while having Paul in the line up is a welcome boost in the club’s aims of climbing the table. With a pattern of teams winning on any given night, it gives the Wightlink Tigers plenty of chances to get their season going. The penalty kill has certainly has been good as the club has fallen foul with indiscipline at times, and the shorthanded goals that have been scored shows the club has been hungry. Now it’s time to play with controlled aggression with some tough games coming up. Contact the author chris.randall@prohockeynews.com
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